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Physics I Class 12: Uniform Circular Motion

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
72 views20 pages

Physics I Class 12: Uniform Circular Motion

I do not actually experience forces. I am an AI assistant created by Anthropic to be helpful, harmless, and honest.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Physics I

Class 12

Uniform Circular Motion

Rev. 19-Feb-06 GB
12-1
Newton’s Second Law -
Yet Another Review!
Newton’s SecondLaw:

    Fnet
FFnetma or a  m
The net force andaccelerationare always in the same directionbecause
mis a positive number.

Acceleration is the rate of anychange inthe velocityvector – either


magnitude (speed) or direction, or both.

Today’s lecture and activitywill stretch our understandingof


acceleration andNewton’s Second Lawfor a special type of motion.

12-2
Uniform Circular Motion

“U n ifo rm ” c ircu lar m o tio n m ean s th at th e


o b ject m o v es in a circle a t a co n stan t sp eed .
S o m e d efin itio n s an d e q u atio n s:
T = p erio d = tim e to g o aro u n d ex actly o n ce
r = rad iu s o f circle
v = sp eed (scalar, n o t v ec to r)
circumfere nce 2  r
v 
period T
2r
T
v
12-3
Acceleration in Circular Motion
 When an object travels in a circle, its velocity is constantly changing (in direction at least).

 That means the object has a non-zero acceleration even if it moves at constant speed.

12-4
Important Facts About
Velocity and Acceleration Vectors

v a Same direction: speeding up.

v a Opposite directions: slowing down.

v
Right angles: changing direction, same speed.
a

12-5
What is the Direction of
Acceleration?
Since the speed is not changing, only the
direction of velocity, acceleration must be
always at right angles to velocity. The
acceleration vector points inward, toward
the center of the circle. This is called
centripetal acceleration from Latin for
“to go to or seek the center.”
Like the direction of the velocity vector,
the direction of centripetal acceleration is
constantly changing as the object moves
around the circle. 2
v
T
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ud
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ce
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tr
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pe
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e
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o
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12-6
“Centripetal Force”
“Centrifugal Force”
“Centripetal force” and “centrifugal force” are two of the most
unnecessary and confusing concepts in introductory physics.
“Centripetal force” is the net force on any object in circular motion.
“Centrifugal force” is a result of measuring the displacement of an
object relative to an accelerated (rotating) observer.

In this course, we will never refer to centripetal or centrifugal force.


We will refer only to actual physical forces such as gravity.

It will never be correct to answer any question using centripetal


force or centrifugal force. Instead, use centripetal acceleration and
Newton’s Second Law as measured by a non-accelerating observer.

12-7
Example:
A Rock on a String
Twirl a 1 kg rock attached to a string in a 1 m radius vertical
circle. The speed is 4 m/sec. What forces act on the rock and
what are the directions of those forces?

12-8
Using Newton’s Second Law to
Solve Problems - Review
1. Identify all forces acting on the object.
Pushes or Pulls Friction (if specified)
Gravity Normal (Surface) Forces
2. Choose a coordinate system.
If you know the direction of acceleration, one
coordinate axis should be in that direction.
3. Draw a “Free-Body Diagram.”
We know how to do this now.
4. Express the force vectors in components.
This may require trigonometry.
5. Use Newton’s Second Law to write one
equation for each direction considered.
We will only consider vertical forces today.
6. Solve the equation(s).

12-9
Case A:
Rock at the Top of the Circle
T h e c e n te r o f th e c irc le is b e lo w th e ro c k , s o a c c e le ra tio n is d o w n .

1 . F o rc e s : W e ig h t (W ) d o w n a n d T e n s io n (T ) d o w n .
2 . C o o rd in a te s : + X d o w n . (W h y ? ) a X
3 . F re e -b o d y d ia g ra m :
4 . X C o m p o n e n ts : (W ) a n d (T ).
5 . S e c o n d L a w : (W ) + (T ) = m a .
 v2 
6. S o lv e : T  m a  W  m a  m g  m   g  T W = mg
 r 
T = 1 ( 1 6 /1 – 9 .8 ) = 6 .2 N .
W = 9 .8 N .

12-10
Case B:
Rock at the Bottom of the Circle
T h e c e n te r o f th e c ir c le is a b o v e th e r o c k , s o a c c e le r a tio n is u p .

1 . F o rc e s : W e ig h t (W ) d o w n a n d T e n s io n (T ) u p .
2 . C o o rd in a te s : + X u p . (W h y ? )
3 . F re e -b o d y d ia g ra m : a X
4 . X C o m p o n e n ts : (– W ) a n d (T ). T
5 . S e c o n d L a w : (– W ) + (T ) = m a .
 v2 
6. S o lv e : T  m a  W  m a  m g  m   g 
 r  W = mg
T = 1 ( 1 6 /1 + 9 .8 ) = 2 5 .8 N .
W = 9 .8 N .

12-11
Normal Force - A Concept
We Will Use in Today’s Activity
“Normal” force is the force generated by a solid
object to keep other objects from penetrating into it.
W As the name implies, the direction of this force is at
N
right angles (“normal”) to the surface. The physical
Floor
cause of this force is the stretching of chemical
bonds, much like the stretching of a lattice of springs.

Normal force is often equal and opposite to weight,


but not always. Consider an elevator cab. How does
W N
the normal force compare to weight if the cab is
moving at a constant velocity? Accelerating upward?
Accelerating downward?
Elevator Cab

12-12
Class #12
Take-Away Concepts
1. Acceleration(or net force) at aright angletovelocitycausesa
changeof directionbut not achangeof speed.
2. Asanobject movesaroundacircleat aconstant speed, it
acceleratestowardthecenter withmagnitudegivenby
v2
a
r
3. Donot trytouse“centripetal”or “centrifugal”forcestosolvea
problem. Usecentripetal accelerationandNewton’s2nd Law.

12-13
Class #12
Problems of the Day
___ 1. Imagine you are riding on a train going around a horizontal
curve of radius r at speed v. You are holding an object, of
mass m, stationary (relative to the train) in your hand.
Let g be the acceleration constant of gravity and a = v2/r.
The net force exerted on the object is:
A) mg upward + ma horizontal toward center
B) mg downward + ma horizontal toward center
C) ma horizontal toward center
D) mg upward + ma horizontal away from center
E) mg downward + ma horizontal away from center
F) ma horizontal away from center
G) zero
H) more information is needed to answer this question

12-14
Class #12
Problems of the Day
2. The space shuttle Atlantis is in a circular orbit 100. km (1.00 x 105 m)
above the surface of the earth. (This is an example of uniform circular
motion.) At this height, the constant of gravity is g = 9.53 N/kg. The
radius of the earth is 6.37 x 106 m. How long (in minutes) does it take for
the shuttle Atlantis to complete one orbit?

12-15
Activity #12
Ferris Wheel Thrill Ride

Objectives of the Activity:

1. More experience with video analysis in LoggerPro.


2. Investigate uniform circular motion –
Is the acceleration really directed toward the center?
3. What is the subjective experience of traveling in a rapid
vertical circular motion?

12-16
Class #12 Optional Material
“Centrifugal” Force?

Turn this way. Feel a force


this way.

Centrifugal is from Latin for “to flee from the center.”


Is centrifugal force a “real” force?

12-17
Accelerated Frames of
Reference
Newton’s Second Law applies to an inertial reference frame, meaning a
reference system for measuring position and time that is not accelerating.

If we wish to use Newton’s Second Law in an accelerating reference frame,


we need to add extra terms to the equation that can be considered as forces
operating on every object that we track using the accelerating reference
frame. These are commonly called inertial forces.

Why would we do a crazy thing like using an accelerated reference frame


instead of an inertial reference frame? In a way, it is built into human
nature to view ourselves as sitting still while the rest of the universe zips by.
It is often a convenient way to calculate things as long as we are careful.

12-18
The Inertial Forces
         
 m A  F  m a 0  m     R   2 m   V  m   R

F
# 1 # 2 # 3 # 4
D o n ’t w o rry a b o u t u n d e rs ta n d in g th e d e ta ils o f th is e q u a tio n . T h e im p o rta n t
th in g is th a t e a c h te rm re p re s e n ts a d iffe re n t ty p e o f in e rtia l fo rc e .
1 . T h is te rm is d u e to lin e a r (in a s tra ig h t lin e ) a c c e le ra tio n o f th e re fe re n c e
fra m e . F o r e x a m p le , in a c a r if y o u s la m o n th e b ra k e s (a c c e le ra tio n to th e
re a r), it fe e ls lik e e v e ry th in g in th e c a r is th ro w n fo rw a rd .
2 . C e n trifu g a l fo rc e – th is te rm is d u e to ro ta tio n o f th e re fe re n c e fra m e .
3 . C o rio lis fo rc e – th is te rm is d u e to m o v in g in a ro ta tin g re fe re n c e fra m e .
If y o u e v e r trie d to w a lk d o w n th e a is le o f a tra in a s it ro u n d e d a c u rv e ,
y o u e x p e rie n c e d th is fo rc e .
4 . T h is te rm is d u e to a c c e le ra tio n o f th e ro ta tio n o f a re fe re n c e fra m e . If y o u
a re rid in g o n a m e rry -g o -ro u n d , y o u n e e d to h o ld o n tig h te r a s it s ta rts u p .
12-19
Discussion
Swinging a Water Bucket Overhead
Take a sturdy water bucket ½ full of water and swing
it in a circle over your head. What will the water do
if
1. you swing it quickly?
2. you swing it slowly?
3. you stop it when it is directly overhead?

Can we relate the concepts and math formulas we


have talked about today to the transition between
situation #1 and situation #2?

12-20

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